The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has repositioned its Skill Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development (SAED) programme to better prepare young Nigerians for the demands of the modern workplace and the global digital economy.
The shift, which includes the standardisation of SAED training nationwide, was announced by the Director General of NYSC, Brigadier General Olakunle Nafiu, at the 2025 second SAED stakeholders’ summit in Abuja. The summit focused on strengthening partnerships and equipping Corps Members with competencies required for future employment and enterprise.
This was contained in a statement on Sunday 13th December, 2025, by Caroline Embu, Director of Information and Public Relations.
According to Nafiu, the revamped curriculum reflects a broader digital transformation agenda, introducing high-demand skills such as artificial intelligence and mobile application development alongside traditional entrepreneurship training. He said the goal is to move beyond basic skill exposure toward competence, mastery and digital fluency.
As part of this approach, NYSC is integrating Corps Members into key Federal Government initiatives, including the 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) programme, while also linking them to global remote work opportunities through platforms such as Outsource to Nigeria, NYSC jobs.ng and the SAED SME toolkit.
The NYSC boss noted that the SAED programme has already made significant contributions to youth empowerment, with over 3.18 million Corps Members trained in entrepreneurship and workplace readiness since 2012.
He added that more than 30,000 Corps-founded businesses have been formally registered, providing jobs and contributing to national economic growth.
To further support emerging entrepreneurs, Nafiu highlighted the recent launch of a ₦2 billion MSME loan fund in partnership with the Bank of Industry, describing it as a major boost for Corps Members seeking to scale viable business ideas.
He also acknowledged the vision of the Scheme’s founding fathers for embedding entrepreneurship into the NYSC mandate, stressing that rising youth unemployment makes such interventions more critical than ever.
Earlier, the Director of SAED, Mr Kehinde Aremu-Cole, commended stakeholders for their role in expanding opportunities across technology, creative industries, agriculture, finance and enterprise development.
He called for innovative funding models that would help transform acquired skills into sustainable businesses.
Both officials urged continued collaboration to ensure that Corps Members are not only skilled but confident, employable and ready to drive Nigeria’s economic future through innovation and enterprise.